Many hikers love being out in nature to enjoy beautiful vistas, fresh air, wildlife in their natural habitats, and chirping birds. I love seeing birds fly overhead and nesting in trees. When my biologist friends hike with me, they love pointing out different bird species. Now there is a way the rest of us can …

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to view Everest, the new movie depicting the tragic 1996 climbing season at Mt. Everest. From the time when Mt. Everest was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953 until the early 1990s, only professional climbers attempted the highest peak in the world. Things …

Want to get a teaser of some of the most famous hikes in the world? Then this coffee-table tome is what you’ll want to buy. 1001 Walks You Must Take Before You Die is a 960 page hardcover book edited by Barry Stone and with a foreword by Julia Bradbury. Organized logically, the book has …

I had the pleasure of reading Cheryl Strayed’s engaging book, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. After reading just the first few chapters, I knew why Oprah selected it for her book club! Wild is Cheryl Strayed’s revealing memoir of her 1,110 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. This certainly …

Are you looking to read a book that you will not want to put down? One that will bring you to tears and also make you laugh out loud? Then you should consider reading Alrene Blum’s inspirational memoir, Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life. A friend of mine loaned me her copy of Arlene’s book, and …

After reading adventurer Helen Thayer’s engaging and inspiring story Polar Dream (see Hiking Lady book review of Polar Dream), I immediately purchased Walking the Gobi, another gripping and memorable story. This time, Helen and her husband Bill trekked across the Gobi desert! For those of who are not familiar with Helen Thayer, I encourage you …

Have you been on a hike and stumbled across a gorgeous meadow filled with wildflowers? Want to know where to go to have an experience like that? Bob Gibbons’ new book, Wildflower Wonders, is the ultimate guide to seeing the most beautiful wild flowerings on the planet! In it, he details 50 locations across the …

A the Outdoor Retailer trade show in 2010, I had the unique opportunity and privilege to sit down and talk with Helen Thayer, the highly-regarded modern day adventurer. (See article about that meeting: A Remarkable Woman, Helen Thayer). Among her many life accomplishments, the one that made her famous was her solo unsupported ski trek …

For Pauline Sanderson, attempting to climb Mt. Everest starting at Base Camp wasn’t enough of a challenge. Instead, she decided to join a team to bicycle 5,000 miles through eight countries, starting at the lowest point on the planet (the Dead Sea), and finishing at the highest point (Mt. Everest)! At age 40, just after …

An Epic Adventure? That is what Jennifer Pharr Davis certainly encountered on her 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail journey! After graduating from college, 21 year old Jennifer set out on a solo thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, starting in Georgia with the goal of reaching Maine. In her book Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian …